Trump’s State of the Union address is tonight
Donald Trump will deliver his address at 9 p.m. ET. It’s a highly anticipated speech, mostly because people are unsure what the president might say. But remember: Trump usually remains on script during big, ceremonial speeches.
You can expect Trump to give props to Trump for a roaring stock market, and address his DACA deal — the administration’s proposal is to legalize 1.8 million undocumented people who came to the US as children, in exchange for funding the border wall and rolling back family-based immigration.
Of course, because we can’t have nice things, there is a typo on the tickets for the State of the Union.
We’ll be hosting a show with analysis, the speech, and coverage of the planned protests outside. Join us on BuzzFeed News’ Facebook page.
More context
People in Puerto Rico say they want Trump to tell the truth about the hurricane recovery: “I would like him to stop talking about things the way he sees them, and to talk about them the way they really are instead,” one resident told BuzzFeed News.
The address comes one day after FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe stepped down earlier than expected. The circumstances behind his departure suggest he was asked to leave, according to a longtime FBI employment lawyer. The White House says Trump “wasn’t part of the decision-making process.”
The UK’s analysis of Brexit: The UK will be worse off in every scenario
In every scenario modeled, the British government’s own assesment of the impact of Brexit says the country will be worse off outside the European Union. The report says under a comprehensive free trade agreement with the EU, the UK’s growth would still be 5% lower over the next 15 years than current forecasts.
If the UK doesn’t make a deal, it would revert to the World Trade Organization’s trade rules, which would slow growth by 8%. Even the “soft Brexit” option — trade through membership of the European Economic Area — would reduce growth by 2%. None of this takes into account any short-term hits to the economy from Brexit.
Asked why the prime minister was not making the analysis public, a source told us, "Because it's embarrassing."
The Cleveland Indians will remove the controversial Chief Wahoo logo
Chief Wahoo is coming off the team’s jerseys starting in the 2019 season. The Indians have been using the mascot, which depicts a red-faced, big-toothed caricature of a Native American, since 1947. Initially, the team logo was changed to a "Block C" in 2014, but Chief Wahoo remained on the uniforms and caps, as well as on merchandise.
The Cleveland Indians aren’t the only team to face this kind of pressure: Activists have been campaigning for the Washington Redskins to change their name for some time. When he was president, Obama suggested the team should consider a different name.
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Quick catch-up
A beautiful day in the neighborhood: Tom Hanks is set to play Mr. Rogers, the host of the beloved children's TV series Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, in the upcoming biopic You Are My Friend.
A referendum: Ireland will hold a public vote on legalizing abortion in May. Abortion is currently illegal in almost all circumstances in Ireland. The referendum will ask the Irish public whether they wish to repeal that ban and replace it with a more liberal abortion law.
A...what?: A top Reuters editor was fired after sexual harassment allegations in 2016. Then he he got a better job as an executive at Newsweek. Dayan Candappa, who was accused of sexually harassing his subordinate at Reuters for months, has now been placed on leave by Newsweek pending an investigation.
A backlash: Fans are not happy that Lorde was the only Grammy nominee for Album of the Year who was not asked to perform solo at the televised ceremony. People do, however, absolutely love the way Lorde handled it: making a statement with her dress — she wore a piece of paper bearing an excerpt from feminist artist Jenny Holzer.
Another one: A high-profile Japanese newscaster has stepped down following sexual harassment allegations. Junichi Tosaka worked at public broadcaster NHK for 20 years, and was scheduled to become the main presenter on Fuji TV's Prime News, set to launch in April.
What’s driving the opioid crisis? Depends on your politics.
For Trump, it’s a border problem. For public health experts, it’s the decline of the working class. For attorneys general in 41 states, greedy Big Pharma is at fault. Science reporter Dan Vergano dives into the different ways people see the problem.
Meanwhile, opioids kill more than 42,000 people every year — up from 8,500 in 1999. The most serious public health crisis in decades was bound to turn into a political football at some point. One expert told us, “The million-dollar question is: Why is America in so much pain?”
This woman’s reaction to seeing Beyoncé in real life is everything
Imagine if you’re just going about your business and suddenly you see an actual human Beyoncé. That’s what happened to this woman, and she was absolutely shook. People’s reactions to the photo are the best. And honestly, same:
